


Holding out for a...hero?

by owlaholic68



Series: Evil Karma Carla [2]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 2
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kidnapping, Mild Language, Stockholm Syndrome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-09
Updated: 2017-12-09
Packaged: 2019-02-12 15:48:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12962793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/owlaholic68/pseuds/owlaholic68
Summary: Hell hath no fury like an angry Carla.





	Holding out for a...hero?

New Reno isn’t a safe city; Carla knows this well. Which is why Lenny never leaves her sight for more than a minute.

“Interesting,” she says to Eldridge. They’re standing in New Reno Arms, negotiating the prices of some ammunition and weapons. “Could I get a couple boxes of .223 ammo while I'm here?” They discuss armaments and modifications.

“Actually, Carla, there’s a project that Algernon’s been working on for a while. Come on down to the basement, I’ll show you. It’ll only take a minute.” He nervously looks at Lenny.

“Sure,” Carla says. “Len, I’ll be right back.” She unshoulders her backpack and leaves it at his feet.

Lenny waits for a few seconds, hearing the basement door open and then close again. Then the door to New Reno arms flies open and three muscular ruffians enter.

“Hey-” Lenny says as one of them grabs his arm. “W-What-”

“Shut the fuck up,” the tallest one snarls. “Just come quietly and-”

Lenny realizes what’s happening when the two other men unholster laser pistols. “C-Carla!” he yells. _I’m not even armed. Oh my God, did Eldridge set this up with a gang, why are they doing this-_ “Carla, help!” he screams, struggling as another man grabs him and wraps a hand around his mouth. He flails and kicks over a chair. It loudly clatters to the ground.

“Shit! Mark, just knock him out, she’ll-”

That’s the last thing Lenny hears before the butt of a gun slams against his temple.

* * *

“Are you fucking KIDDING me?”

Lenny winces and cracks his eyes open. His head is pounding, and he’s lying on his side on soft carpet.

“Sorry, Mason, we just thought-”

“That is NOT what I pay you for! I pay you for GUARDING, not for making STUPID decisions!”

“Now, Mason, maybe this will all work out.” An old wheezing voice comes from above Lenny. “You said she cares about this filthy ghoul. Maybe we can use him to make sure she doesn’t bother us.”

Lenny tries to move and realizes that his arms are tied behind his back with rough rope, same as his ankles. A gag is stuffed in his mouth, secured by a strip of cloth tied around his head. _Uh-oh. I wonder how long it’s been. Probably not long, since Carla hasn’t found me yet._

The voice that he can identify as Mason speaks. “Mr. Salvatore, sir, you didn’t SEE her when I asked her to kill Pretty Boy Lloyd. She was ecstatic. She was bloodthirsty. And she keeps that ghoul as close as you keep your oxygen tank, sir. I DON’T think we’re going to be able to stop her from getting violent.”

 _The Salvatores?_ Lenny squirms, to no avail. _Why did the Salvatores kidnap me? Since Carla took care of Lloyd, we haven’t dealt with them at all. Is this because of her joining the Wrights? But the Mordinos and the Bishops at least leave us alone, probably for fear of provoking her._ He tamps down the anxiety that comes from being kidnapped, a situation he is in no way familiar with. _Carla’s coming for me._ _I just have to wait._

“We just have to make the best of this situation,” Louis Salvatore says. “You recommended that we not trust her with our Enclave relations, right? Well, then we would have had to get rid of her anyways, eventually.” He gestures to the three guards that had kidnapped Lenny. “You three, gather everyone else. Arm up, get ready for the fight of your lives. And for acting outside of my orders, you three will personally guard the door.”

The guards snap to attention, then leave the room. Mason walks over to Lenny and kicks him to get his attention.

“Hey, ghoul. You don’t cause no trouble during this, MAYBE we’ll leave you alive after we kill your friend.”

Lenny glares up at him. _Yeah, right. This is the one time that I’m glad for Carla’s more violent tendencies. Hell hath no fury like an angry Carla._

Louis Salvatore drags his oxygen tank over to a chair and heavily sits, wheezing. He motions to Mason, who bodily hauls Lenny to his feet and puts a laser pistol to his head, dragging him to stand between his boss and the door.

“Now we wait.”

They don’t have to wait long. Gunfire sounds from downstairs in the bar, patrons screaming and feet pounding. Lenny holds his breath. Mason tightens his grip.

The guards outside the door yell and fire their weapons. Then they stop. It’s silent for almost a minute. Louis Salvatore’s labored breathing is loud in the silence.

Then the door very slowly swings open. At first, Lenny, thinks that nobody’s there. He hears Mason make a quiet noise of confusion. Then he looks down and sees Skynet.

“What the-”

Carla ducks into the doorway and fires off a clean shot, hitting Mason in the shoulder. He drops his gun and yells. Lenny takes advantage of his distraction to wrest himself away, losing his balance with his ankles tied together, falling hard on his shoulder and rolling away.

Seeing him away from Mason and out of danger, Carla darts forward and punches Mason with her powerfist. Skynet shoots at him too, forcing him back against a wall.

“You’ll _pay_ for this, Mason,” Carla growls, and hits him in the side of the head. Mason crumples to the ground, but Lenny can still see his chest rising and falling. _Why didn’t she kill him?_

“And _you_!” She rounds on Louis Salvatore. “Did you really think you could get away with this? Your days as a mob boss are _over_.” She raises her fist, then lowers it and smiles, reaching for her belt and pulling out a long rod. She clicks a button and electricity shoots down to the end.

Salvatore, in his weak condition, is helpless as Carla first rips away his oxygen tank. He gasps and loudly chokes, face turning blue. Then she plugs it back in. He sucks in wheezing breaths.

Lenny wishes his hands were free so he could cover his ears. So he doesn’t have to listen to Salvatore scream as Carla stabs him with the cattle prod. So he doesn’t have to hear Carla _laugh_ as she unplugs his oxygen again, then lets him breathe for just a second before the screaming starts again. Lenny just closes his eyes and listens to her slowly kill him, drawing it out for minutes at a time.

Then it’s silent. Nimble fingers are suddenly untying him and pulling the gag out of his mouth, and he gasps in relief.

“C-Carla,” he whispers, and hugs her.

“Oh, Len,” she sounds the most upset he’s ever heard her. “I was so worried, Len. I’m so glad you’re okay.” She rubs his back. “Eldridge was a fucking traitor. He sold us out.”

Lenny doesn’t want to ask the question, but he needs to know. “Did- did you kill him, C-Carla?”

“No.” She sounds disappointed. “He’s the only decent arms dealer in the area. But don’t worry, I made sure he knows never to cross us again. After all, he can still sell weapons with broken legs.”

Skynet beeps. Behind them, Mason is slowly starting to wake.

“Knock him out again, Skynet,” Carla orders.

“Skynet would be pleased to do so.” Mason collapses again with a groan.

Carla helps Lenny stand, keeping an arm around his waist. “Come on, some of the Wright boys are waiting downstairs to take care of Mason. I decided not to kill him so I could work off some steam later.”

“O-okay, Carla.” Lenny stops himself from thinking about the implications of her statement. He lets himself be content with following her to the Wright mansion. The stress of his abrupt kidnapping finally catches up to him later, and hits him hard. He starts crying when Carla’s asleep, curling up and tucking his head into her shoulder.

He buries his fingers in her hair, glad that she had been leaving his hands free for the last week. _It’s not like I’m going to run._ He listens to her breathe and slowly relaxes.

When Carla wakes the next morning, she brushes a hand across Lenny’s still-wet cheeks and smiles. He sniffles in his sleep and draws closer to her. She carefully untangles her legs from his, standing from the bed.

“C-Carla,” he whines in his sleep, reaching for where she was. Seeing him stir, she quickly slips a large pillow in his arms. He sighs and slips back into a peaceful slumber.

Carla watches him for a few minutes before turning and starting to get dressed.

She’s got a long and _exciting_ day before her.

**Author's Note:**

> Quests referenced are "Track down Pretty Boy Lloyd, recover the stolen money, and make an… example of him" (from the previous fic) and "Help guard a secret transaction taking place in the desert" (the Salvatores are conducting business with the Enclave).   
> Carla joined the Wright family (that's why she went to the Sierra Army Base, that is part of the Wright quest chain), and once you become a Made Man of a Family, the other Families often become hostile to you. I think that they wouldn't be hostile to THIS Carla for fear of getting their asses royally kicked, so they just steer clear of her.   
> Also, Mason has some of the funniest dialogue in the game. He also has a "patience" counter, and if you insult him too much he just attacks you. Louis Salvatore also tracks "like" points like Joanne Lynette does, which probably explains every interaction I've ever had with him in the game, where he always seems to hate me for some reason.


End file.
